I created my own system

Before arriving inside the room Apollo first saw wall-mounted sconces with candlelight that provided a soft glow that illuminated the path until he arrived at the door. Opening it he first saw parchment scrolls and maps of every Word tree extension that can be found in the empire, they all hung on the walls.

Then right beside the walls is a chalkboard and large sheets of parchment display with complex alchemical symbols and equations.

At the center of the lab is a large piece of wooden workbench cluttered with various alchemical apparatus. There were ornate glass alembics, retorts, crucibles, and distillation apparatuses. These tools are often intricately designed, with elaborate metalwork and delicate glasswork. Cauldrons which bubbles with mysterious liquids over open flames and small hearths, casting a warm, flickering light.

Though the scent it expels was the least pleasing but boy decided to ignore them. Then there are also cobblestone and crystal vials.

This dimly lit room built by wooden beams and stone walls that Apollo found also contains, shelves that lined up with leather-bound tomes, glass jars filled with strange ingredients, and antiquated tools. However, it wasn't the part that made the boy livid.

At the very center of the lab right behind the wooden workbench, is a large glass tube with a mysterious glowing liquid inside it, the liquid was greenish but then if you focus enough you can see something floating inside the glass tube.

"What the hell is this" the young mage couldn't help but exclaim as he saw what the room contained.

"Are they conducting some kind of experimentation here" he added while a frown reigns over his face.

"That one thing on the tube" he began to say as he approached right in front of it.

"Why?..." the boy's thoughts began to be in shambles as he confusingly thought "Why do I feel you are familiar to me?!"

He then gently touched the glass tube and felt the existence of the tiny shard of wood, or perhaps a root.

"Familiar feeling and a wrath that came out of nowhere"

"Where exactly are these feelings coming from!"

[Creator calm down!]

The boy stared at the shard still shaking with anger until he soon calmed down.

"Let's search the place first, give me all the information you can gather"

[I will Creator]

Apollo then looks at the piece of root inside the tube and slowly his eyes soften. As he closed his eyes he began tracing the feeling and where exactly he felt it before.

[Creator I have found a piece of disturbing news, I suggest consulting the other mages about it]

"Okay," he answered though his eyes still closed.

"World tree" he mutters, then he finally opens his eyes.

"They took a part of her" he added looking like a calm raging storm.

Jeremiah remain silent as if agreeing to what his Creator said.

The boy might remain calm, but deep inside he wants to break everything inside the room.

"This is a piece of the world tree right?"

[Yes it is my Creator]

Apollo clenches his teeth angry but also confused at his own feelings. He doesn't know why he has emotions that he knows he shouldn't have. They keep appearing making him feel he is missing something. It's as if he is longing for something very important, yet he doesn't know anything about it.

The boy sat right in front of the tube still looking at the floating piece of the world tree.

"Jeremiah tell me what did they do to her?"

For a moment the artificial intelligence doesn't know what to say. Should he start by asking why his Creator referring to a tree as her? Or should he first mend the emotions he currently has? However, Jeremiah buried those things away and hurriedly reported what he found out.

[After analyzing the place, I found three things.

First is the use of flesh from Nirvana, I have confirmed that they used it to extract life from the tree.

Second, there is an experiment here that discovers a way to store the extracted life from the tree.

And lastly, it seems the Crusaders had some connection with Nirvana'a old friends]

"You mean the so-called gods of the revolutionary church?"

[Yes, records say that they came into contact with the Crusaders and gave them the means of killing the World tree, a mage's source of power]

"Heh, to think they would leave such evidence here"

[It seems they are confident no one will ever find this place, and so they gladly leave everything here]

"Now it makes me wonder if there is any alchemist capable of doing this thing"

[There must be, we have records from the secret library and the ones given by the emperor, we can do a search]

"Then give me some samples about the most notorious alchemist to the most notable and famous ones"

[I will Creator, I also extracted some faint mana signature, perhaps we can use this to trace our mysterious alchemist]

"Alright, thank you"

He merely said while looking at the root inside the glass tube.

He was unusually quiet and seemingly calm however deep inside his consciousness, Jeremiah can feel the turmoil that is brewing inside.

"Hoo.." he began to breathe slowly trying to release his pent-up stress.

"It seems I need to go to the world tree" he finally decided until multiple sounds of footsteps rang at the other side of the path he had taken.

[Those are not the mages we are expecting]

"Yes I know" he just said while fixing his posture.

"I am extremely mad now, I will probably use them to relieve some of my stress"

The steps began to approach their location and now the boy immediately took his veil while releasing a vicious energy. That said energy creeps into the ground until it knocks into the group of unknown people. It especially targeted the five mages who were among them. This disrupts their spellcasting, causing them to stagger and lose focus.

"I will not let you guys have a decent death"

The darkness intensifies as the spell Manus maledicta takes effect.

Burn charcoal hands suddenly spawn on the tainted ground, grabbing the bodies of the five mages. With them being caught Apollo emerges at the narrow passage, taking advantage of their current location.

Five magical circles came up signifying five spells simultaneously being cast.

"Combination spell, Five elements"

Earth, wind, fire, water and darkness, five elements became one and turned into a singular spell. It was a type of fusion magic that left his opponent staggering, though it wasn't enough to kill them.

[They have a heavy knight]

The boy just nodded seeing a singular shield that shines to block his powerful spell. Apollo just stares at them before summoning a weapon.

"Let's see how strong your shield is"

A weapon that was shaped like a drill and a handle like a spear landed on the boy's hand. Despite its size, it didn't seem to bother its wielder. And as soon as the spell finishes blasting its targets, the boy lunges forward targeting the shield that blocked most of the power of his spell.

Ki began to circulate across his body boosting his muscles with strength.

The sound of steel hitting echoes until another sound takes over. It was the sound of something drilling. Sparks then flew away as the spear began drilling the shield.

Experience more on empire

The high rotational speed and focused application of force, became a combination that allowed the weapon to exert significant pressure on the shield, until cracks finally emerged.

The boy on the other hand had his left hand cast a spell while the right hand held the drilling spear.

"I said no one will cast anything" Apollo voiced out seeing the five mages trying to cast a spell despite slowly dying due to the spell Manus maledicta.

Air suddenly disappeared leaving ten people suffocated, then as their breath almost seized, warm energy began to be focused on a single point.

The ten people felt their demise was coming and they hurriedly tried to flee, however with their path being too narrow they weren't able to move. Especially the guy who holds a shield since a drill was right in front of him. Soon fissures spread out and broke the golden shield leaving the knight injured and defenceless.

Apollo remained serious without any reaction to what just happened, then finally he spoke his spell.

"Blast out inferno"

A red magic circle began to be drawn in the air, taking advantage of the shield's destruction it blew up the entire passage.

"Jeremiah"

[Yes]

"Make sure this place won't break"

[I will]

After eliminating his unnecessary guest he began to chant again.

"Darkness element Necromancy magic, Veritas"

A dark tainted smoke appeared on the ground before grabbing the souls of the people he just killed. They scream in an eerie manner but the boy remains devoid of any emotion.

"Now then tell me what you did to her"

His voice was cold and oozing with bloodlust and even though those souls have no physical body, they began to tremble. Afraid of the little boy in front of them.